Hazie's: I Rode the Lightning
- Ryan
- Jun 28
- 2 min read
It's Saturday, early evening. You've finished all your errands for the day, including grocery shopping and working out. There are no obligations hanging over your head for tomorrow, and your only obligation for the rest of the Saturday is to have fun. You're chatting with friends about what to do. Someone suggests grabbing a cocktail to kick the night off. But what cocktail, and where?
I'll answer those for your group chat: the Ride the Lightning cocktail at Hazie's in San Francisco. That's what and where.
The Ride the Lightning is a house cocktail at Hazie's, and it's my favorite house cocktail I've had in a long time. It's a tequila based drink, infused with jalapeño and habanero peppers, with "cucumber syrup" (I'd love to try a bit of that on its own), lime, agave, cilantro, and cucumber foam. Beyond just looking really cool — hey, you drink with your eyes first — I was especially impressed with how well balanced this cocktail is.
I've tried quite a few spicy cocktails, and the heat almost always dominates the tasting experience, drowning out other potentially interesting flavors. Not so with the Ride the Lightning: The heat is definitely there, but the cucumber, lime, and agave all come through, creating a unique and refreshing experience that really struck a chord with me. (Speaking of striking a chord, I wonder if this cocktail is named after Metallica's album Ride the Lightning (or song by the same name)? I asked the server, but he didn't know. If you know, please drop a note in the comments!)
While the Ride the Lightning is reason enough to pop into Hazie's, they also have some tasty food. I was with a group and so not focused closely on taking beautiful food pictures and writing down tasting notes, but that said I enjoyed the gnocchi, hummus and guac plate, and Oaxacan cheese fundido.
The gnocchi is made with ricotta, which gave it an incredibly light and airy texture compared to most gnocchi I've had. The hummus/guac plate and cheese fundido — which has a generous portion of carnitas — were nice to pass around the table.
And now you've finished your cocktail and a sharable appetizer or two. It's Saturday evening just after happy hour, and you walk out onto Hayes street, obligated to have some more fun before the night is over. Where to next?
Thanks for reading! If you Ride the Lightning, let me know in the comments if it singes your tastebuds off, or if it's a balanced ride.
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